razorfield9
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Please Note: This is a theory in progress. I need to acquaint myself more with the text I am using to corroborate Jung with the themes at work in the character of Kaguya. Notably, I need more material from Jung. This is disorganized, but I will continue to work on it as more insights come about. It is fun to think about though, so let me know what you think. At any rate, here goes:
My theory is here is that Kishimoto looked to the writings of many differing myths in developing the entire myth of Kaguya, the sage, and others. Carl Jung in specific has much to say on the score of Kaguya, almost word for word identity with the character herself. She is borderline inhuman, and embodies the mother who does not want to let her children depart from her. In this analysis, I will primarily look to the work done by Jung in his Symbols of Transformation, published in 1912.
Analysis
As a mythological image, the mother is often conceived of as a devourer: the blanketing effect of the unconscious. Please read this incredibly insightful discussion:
"But as the tree signifies the origin in the sense of the mother, it represents the source of life, of that magical life-force whose yearly renewal was celebrated in primitive times by the homage paid to a divine son." (paragraph 392, Symbols of Transformation)
Notably, the tree figures into this discussion. The divine son is presumably in accord with Hagoromo.
Further discussion on the role of the Mother in Jungian terms:
"The separation of the son from the mother signified man's leavetaking from animal unconsciousness." (paragraph 415, SOT)
"The sun, rising triumphant, tears himself from the enveloping womb of the sea... in the morning of life the son tears himself loose from the mother, from the domestic hearth, to rise through battle to his destined heights". (553, SOT)
Part of the theme in Naruto was breaking away from this mother, or outgrowing her. Mother didn't want to let go. In a sense, the maturation required breaking away- which is what black zetsu didn't do.
So far, there is uncanny resemblance. As the mother of all chakra, reunification is something that is to be avoided. The sage's decision was to hand control to the son who had many followers, who prioritized the many over the one, ie Ashura. In this way, chakra and ninshu were means to the ends of increasing harmony amongst others.
What violated this was the classic curse of hatred. The Uchicha tribe prioritized the strength over the individual, and can be considered as a form of individualism. While this is not bad in and of itself, it rapidly converted to perverted aims thanks to Black Zetsu's tamperings of the Uchicha tablet that the Sage of 6 paths wrote.
And Herein lies the rub. Madara's fault was to desire unity between different factions in the wrong way. Bringing together Uchicha and Senju was good- the sage would have liked this. But Madara wanted to bring this about in himself. He wanted the power to effect the harmony he saw as perfect. Convert hell into heaven. Black Zetsu used him.
The devouring mother came back because all was reunited within one, and the chakra gathered from the mighty world tree fueled her with the chakra she needed to make Madara into her body. Thus, the moral lesson that Kishimoto might want to suggest is that harmony is indeed good, but you need to respect the individual fundamentally. Otherwise you become a Madara that becomes a Kaguya.
Carl Jung's thought on a Kaguya like figure thus works to the effect that in her all are reunited: she devours the world. The transformation of this symbolic value in Jung is made literal in Naruto.
The difficulties as of now are reconciling the dual value of the sons. I have a feeling it just means "differentiation is better than being subsumed by megalomaniacal mom". In addition, the Infinite Tsukyomi can be seen as an extension of Kaguya herself (as the panel when her eye is the moon) suggests.
Again, I will continue to work on this.
My theory is here is that Kishimoto looked to the writings of many differing myths in developing the entire myth of Kaguya, the sage, and others. Carl Jung in specific has much to say on the score of Kaguya, almost word for word identity with the character herself. She is borderline inhuman, and embodies the mother who does not want to let her children depart from her. In this analysis, I will primarily look to the work done by Jung in his Symbols of Transformation, published in 1912.
Analysis
As a mythological image, the mother is often conceived of as a devourer: the blanketing effect of the unconscious. Please read this incredibly insightful discussion:
"But as the tree signifies the origin in the sense of the mother, it represents the source of life, of that magical life-force whose yearly renewal was celebrated in primitive times by the homage paid to a divine son." (paragraph 392, Symbols of Transformation)
Notably, the tree figures into this discussion. The divine son is presumably in accord with Hagoromo.
Further discussion on the role of the Mother in Jungian terms:
"The separation of the son from the mother signified man's leavetaking from animal unconsciousness." (paragraph 415, SOT)
"The sun, rising triumphant, tears himself from the enveloping womb of the sea... in the morning of life the son tears himself loose from the mother, from the domestic hearth, to rise through battle to his destined heights". (553, SOT)
Part of the theme in Naruto was breaking away from this mother, or outgrowing her. Mother didn't want to let go. In a sense, the maturation required breaking away- which is what black zetsu didn't do.
So far, there is uncanny resemblance. As the mother of all chakra, reunification is something that is to be avoided. The sage's decision was to hand control to the son who had many followers, who prioritized the many over the one, ie Ashura. In this way, chakra and ninshu were means to the ends of increasing harmony amongst others.
What violated this was the classic curse of hatred. The Uchicha tribe prioritized the strength over the individual, and can be considered as a form of individualism. While this is not bad in and of itself, it rapidly converted to perverted aims thanks to Black Zetsu's tamperings of the Uchicha tablet that the Sage of 6 paths wrote.
And Herein lies the rub. Madara's fault was to desire unity between different factions in the wrong way. Bringing together Uchicha and Senju was good- the sage would have liked this. But Madara wanted to bring this about in himself. He wanted the power to effect the harmony he saw as perfect. Convert hell into heaven. Black Zetsu used him.
The devouring mother came back because all was reunited within one, and the chakra gathered from the mighty world tree fueled her with the chakra she needed to make Madara into her body. Thus, the moral lesson that Kishimoto might want to suggest is that harmony is indeed good, but you need to respect the individual fundamentally. Otherwise you become a Madara that becomes a Kaguya.
Carl Jung's thought on a Kaguya like figure thus works to the effect that in her all are reunited: she devours the world. The transformation of this symbolic value in Jung is made literal in Naruto.
The difficulties as of now are reconciling the dual value of the sons. I have a feeling it just means "differentiation is better than being subsumed by megalomaniacal mom". In addition, the Infinite Tsukyomi can be seen as an extension of Kaguya herself (as the panel when her eye is the moon) suggests.
Again, I will continue to work on this.
